Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Glædlig Jul!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!! Really looking forward to Christmas Eve dinner, Chris is cooking up a storm in the kitchen: traditional Danish dinner, roasted duck with prunes and apples, cooked red cabbage and sweet potatoes. Rice pudding for dessert. We've had an amazing year of new adventures and many changes so we have much to celebrate this Christmas. We miss our family and friends but have some great visitors coming in the next few days so they will keep us busy and bring the "hygge" to us.

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Taking my new role seriously

I made myself laugh today... really laugh. I asked Chris to pick up a mop on his way home last night because I felt that our vacuum was just not picking up the dust. Granted, I am new at this, I've never been a stay at home kind of girl... so today, I unwrapped the mop... and began looking for instructions! How do I use this thing? Have I really never used a mop before? I found this hard to believe... but it's true - I've never mopped and I don't know how to. I will google it.

In the kitchen I have made much progress. I joked with Christine that I started calling myself Martha. My not so ginger bread cookies where a hit! Next time I go home to Canada I will be sure to bring back some molasses so I can make the proper kind . I made the Danish version, honey cookies. Check them out:



We are getting ready for the holidays, the tree is up (and it has real candles) and my advent calendar is more than half way eaten (organic fair trade chocolate, thank you Chris!) and there is snow on the ground. It's also really cold out - my bike will stay exactly where it is today. I think I will take the bus to my Jule party tonight.

Countdown to Jul

The Danish celebrate the days of advent leading to Christmas (Jul) and yesterday was the beginning of the first week of advent. What I have enjoyed the most so far are the candles! They are everywhere. They sell them like water at every super market and they have a number system - so you have a candle you burn each week leading to Christmas, you can also have a long candle that is marked like a ruler with 24 days that burns each day of December, you also put candles on your Christmas tree. I have yet to light any of these, but I did ask Chris to pick up a fire extinguisher on his way home today just to be prepared. These folk love light - which is just as well because it's 8 am as I write this and the sun hasn't even come up yet! Even our residential street gets dolled up, have a look:






We went last night to watch the lighting of the Christmas tree downtown, we were warned that it was a kids event but it was still cute. For several minutes we were trying to figure out what the purpose of having people dressed up as pandas with flames on their heads, dancing around the Christmas tree. Then we made the connection: COP 15!! Talk about continuing to send the message to all ages. The mayor then spoke about how this city will soon play host... I was so proud of myself for understanding what she said! Enjoy the video, and Chris' commentary!!

Equality gone wrong???

Since I arrived, I've been scouting networking groups in order to find people with common goals and interest. School has been the best place to meet people because we are all in a similar situation, our spouse works here and we (mainly women) are trying to find our niche. I've attended a couple of really great expat seminars that have given me lots of ideas on how to approach the job search and what to expect out of this new culture and life style. I am still trying to get used to the fact that here, men find it okay to yell at women. On several occasions, I have seen (and thankfully NOT experienced) this in action. Coming out of the grocery store one day, this lady brushed up against a child with her bike - I guess she didn't see the little girl but the girl's father looked like he was ready to hit the poor lady on her bike! He strongly cussed at her, loudly and come face to face with her. I thought they were going to fight. Another time a man cut off a bike while he was driving, so the cyclist (a woman) yelled at him. He immediately got out of his car and approached the lady, yelling and screaming at her, in her face, at the top of his lungs! I found this a little strange and when I asked one of my fellow expats she said, "It's simply their freedom of expression and equality". She also proceeded to tell me that along with this sense of equality, one must expect no special favours or treatments from anyone. She experienced this when one day she went to her local bakery to order a few dozen sandwiches for a meeting. She asked if she could get a discount and the baker turned very sour and went on to ask her why she would ever expect a discount and why she thought she was so special... the baker went on to argue that if the old age pensioner that buys a sandwich once a week has to pay full price than everyone has to pay full price.

After having this conversation I realized I have a lot to learn about this country! And apparently it takes a while. Chris has a colleague from the States, that has lived here for about 20 years, who says that still to this day, his Danish wife corrects his mannerisms, expressions, body language, etc. Who knew moving to another "Western" country would still leave room for loss in translation!

Danish Level 2

I've been completely ignoring all things non 'dansk' in order to prepare for my level 1 exam last week... and guess what? I passed! It felt good to have that under my wing... so on to level 2. Not much time in between courses though as I started again on Monday but I am giving myself the gift of time by reducing school to only twice a week instead of 4. This will give me more time to dedicate to my extra curriculars :-P

It's been amazing to see just how different our North American expectations are when it comes to shopping. I wanted to treat myself to a haircut the other day, found a place that I'd like to try, called them and found out it takes about 5 weeks to get an appointment!!! (IF you are flexible and can come in any time of the day). Chris and I decided that we would accept the fact that winter will be dark, cold and rainy and a TV would be nice to have. We went to the largest shop in the area to try to get the largest selection only to learn that there is a nation wide shortage of TVs and that only 2 out of the dozens of models are available at this time. Sales guy couldn't say when more stock would come in... We went to buy a lamp for the living room and same thing... they took my details and will call me when the one we chose is available... went to buy a coffee table and same thing... maybe they will make more before Christmas but maybe not.... he couldn't say when they'd have more... are you seeing the pattern? I felt like saying, what do you mean you are not able to sell me what you sell? And the overall impression I get from people is 'Oh well'. The other day I asked a store keeper about her rain coats, she had a small but nice selection. When I asked her about them she said "Oh, these, we'll I think they are too expensive, I am not going to sell them anymore."

On a nature related note, we recently went to the Deer Park. It's called that because back in the day it used to be used as a hunting ground (how sad!) but now it's a pretty park with hundreds of deer! They are all over the place, just chillin'.

Check them out:

The beach is also very close by:

1001 Passwords

Since the invention of internet banking I have been a huge fan. What a great way to make sure you stay on budget and besides, who really likes balancing their cheque book? I trust the bank to do that for me but I do like to keep a close eye...

It was so easy to get a bank account here - just walk in with your CPR number (equivalent of a SIN number) and voila! you have an account - free of charge. Well since I got my account back in late August, I have been trying to log into their e-banking system. My first attempt failed - I had received a user ID and password by mail but it refused to work. Called the bank and after a few failed attempts they asked me if I was using a PC and I said, no, a Mac. This was the reason it would not work. Their systems are set up to be used with a PC so I would need some kind of hardware to be able to use e-banking. A few days later I received something that reminds me of VPN token with a built in calculator. I tried to follow the instructions on-line and failed. Then school started and I forgot all about internet banking... going to the teller in person became part of the European experience.

So today, I braved the website and tried again. I failed. So I called the bank and asked for help. A nice english speaking gentleman told me that I should have received a user ID to go along with my ActiveCard (VPN-calculator looking thing). I didn't. I was using the original user ID and password that I received in the mail the first time around. So he gave me my new user ID and so I tried to log in again. I failed. He asked if I had received an updated password with my ActiveCard because the regular password would not work because it was meant for PCs. I hadn't. So he kindly offered to send me a new password in the mail and I should have it sometime next week.

I had a great old chuckle with him on the phone and thanked him for his help.

Here's hoping I get to log on next week!

On another note, now that I have figured out how to posts videos.... enjoy!

Kultur Natten

At last, we have internet. I was trying to figure out what's worse, waiting for Bell and hoping the tech shows up on the day they tell you or having to wait TWO whole weeks for the exact date and time which Telia (the Danish service provider) has scheduled the click of the switch...

We have moved into our new flat in Charlottenlund, we are about 10 km north of Copenhagen. The air is fresh and the sea is very close by. Looking forward to the beach days next summer.... but let's not get ahead of ourselves, winter has arrived. At least for me. I am in my full winter gear yet the locals are still out in their convertibles, wearing their fall coats which to me look like summer clothes, I even saw a woman in flip flops the other night. Yes, the sun is shining but it's only 3 degrees out!! People here seem to have a much higher tolerance for the cold. And I don't think they measure the windchill but riding my bike this morning I swear it was minus something...

The last few weeks we've been really busy trying to get organized - making lists of what we need for the apartment, making plans of what to paint, dreaming of all the cool danish designer furniture we could buy if we were rich and of course getting to know the new little town. The post office opens at 11am, and so do the shops. So no need to get up early around here. The funny thing is that they close at 5pm so you have only a few hours to get your errands done. All things are closed on Sundays except on the first Sunday of each month. The only shops that remain open 7 days a week are the bakery and the candy store. Yum!

Last Friday, we went out for Kultur Natten. It's an event similar to Doors Open Toronto where venues by the masses open their doors, provide entertainment and allow the public to roam through and experience what they have to offer. The shops also stay open really late so people can take advantage of late night shopping which I am sure comes in handy for those who are at work all day and can't get to the stores in time. It was neat to see so many people on the streets - we were approaching midnight and the loads of people that were out made it seem like it was the middle of a busy day. Highlights of the night were listening to the french chansons in the art gallery, visiting the Danish Radio building, stopping for the ice cream that is supposed to be one of the best in the nation and hearing traditional icelandic singing (see video below).

Hagedorn Day!

With all my studying I had not had the chance to write about my day at Hagedorn. Which is also known as Steno, which is part of Novo Nordisk. As part of Chris' onboarding at work, I was invited to come and visit. Bring your spouse to work day? Unheard of!! So I took the train to Gentofte - luckily we had visited the grounds a few weeks back so I knew where I was going. I met with his boss who is super, super nice and likes to chat about culture, art, history, politics... Chris has his own office with a window that opens - fresh air in the workplace? How genius! I was invited to stay for lunch and got to enjoy my first kanteen experience. I can't wait to start working in Denmark simply for this reason - as part of your benefits package, most large work places have a kanteen system. It's basically subsidized lunch - you pay a few dollars a day for a great, healthy buffet meal that is prepared fresh daily. Eating in the kanteen is cheaper that brown bagging. The grounds where the lab is located is very pretty - they are in a suburb and are surrounded by apple trees and gardens - you can go apple picking on your lunch break! There is a small lake and a forest with trails down the street - where I am sure we would often find some of the scientists clearing their heads and thinking about their next discovery.

Malmö & Skole

Being a student again has brought me back years! It also reminds me how much effort it takes to study. Hanne our teacher refuses to speak English. Simply because... well, she doesn't want to. She says that we are here to speak Danish and must get used to only hearing, thinking, dreaming Danish. It's hard work paying attention to all the lessons, honestly, I catch myself tuning in and out of focus all the time. Gotta start brining sugar snacks to stay alert!!!! We've had 2-3 hours homework a day and I know it's only going to get tougher.

Last weekend Chris and I went to Malmö, Sweden. It was such beautiful day that we were able to spend the entire day outside. We spent several hours people watching in a cafe and window shopping for designer furniture. (Notice the word in bold!) The swedish furniture is to die for... and I don't mean Ikea - I mean the hand made variety - the type where the designer made only one. That kind.

I told myself I would not write about food anymore but let me just say one of the highlights from Sweden was that they sell nachos at the bars! It was certainly a little sense of home. Even if the cheese tasted like cheese whiz and even if they serve them with aioli.

Whipped Cream? Yes please.

After a few days of some kind of cold bug I seem to have energy again. I decided to go for a swim at the DGI Byen (don't ask me how to pronounce that in Danish because 'jeg taler ikke dansk!') Cycled and found my way and paid my 40DKK to enter - getting there before 9am provided me a discount. The pools were very cool... they had all sorts of pool props like buoyancy belts and float boards etc. It was clear that you had to move with traffic in the circular lap pool. Did a few laps and then moved into the warm relaxing pool. Overall I thought it was a good deal - just under 10 bucks for a whole lot of fun.

The best part was the way home. After some shopping at a nearby mall and some lunch I went to visit what they call 'little Paris'. It was more like 'little mainland Europe' because they had the most amazing Italian cafe and I had 'en kugle' (1 scoop) of pistachio 'is' (ice cream). The best part was when she asked if I wanted whipped cream on top - yes please! Even the other day I had a hot chocolate to warm me up and they asked me if I wanted whipped cream - yes please! They honestly gave me more whipped cream than hot chocolate.

I am off now - going to shop for a gym membership.

Square Pillows & Topless Sandwiches

I went shopping for pillows yesterday and found out that all pillows here are square. Our pillow cases have been made redundant. They are more like sofa pillows and not like your traditional rectangular north american variety. Who knew. I also found the most magnificent school supply shop - I desperately needed an organizer and folders to keep all our paperwork in gear. We get mail like everyday. Even on Sundays. The bank likes to mail us letters often, they are all in Danish so it's hard to know what they are advertising, selling, advising or even warning. We generally rely on Chris' colleagues to translate anything that looks important.

We are really looking forward to moving into our flat on October 1st. It will be nice to be settled but most importantly I am really looking forward to packing everything up again (for the third time in four months!). This past weekend was a tourist weekend. We had a pub night, went sightseeing and had our own private tour of the opera house.

I decided yesterday that I don't like Smørrebrød. Something about the creamy buttery taste that just does not agree with me. Instead, I made myself a traditional sandwich with two slices of bread sans butter and it was delicious. When you visit us you can judge for yourself.

Had to turn on the heater today - woke up to a nearly 10 degrees! Had on two sweaters on and ski socks. With some hot cocoa and a few radiators blasting I managed to warm right up.

Special Treats

I can't get over the amount of sweet treats that I have consumed in the three weeks we've been here. I think I am officially addicted to sugar. Since there is such a lack of salty snacks (at a reasonable price) I tend to just go for the delicious bakery items. Yesterday was a super special day - I went to La Glace where the process of baking is a fine art. While I was attempting to teach myself Danish this past summer there was one word that stayed with me - "aeblekage" which sounds more like applique en francaise so I ordered a slice of heaven when I got this:

Prior to this consuming this delicacy I rode on the Netto Boat - which is the equivalent of the mouches in Paris. Long slow moving flat bed boats that take you on a tour through the canals and through the ports of Copenhagen. It was such a beautiful day we have to take advantage of the days that are sunny, warm and not super windy. After all this excitement I decided to ride my bike across a long stretch of the city - it was so peaceful. And besides, I needed to work off the cream calories I had just inhaled.

Arrival

I can't believe it's been a week since we left Canada. Flying Icelandair was an awesome experience, everything from the airport lounge with food and free drinks. We stopped over in Iceland - a country of tundra. I took this picture from the plane as we were landing in Reykjavik. Their airport was different - hardwood floors and lots of glass doors. All I wanted to do was sleep because at this point it was 2am Toronto time.

Slowly the jetlag pills I got at the healthfood store started working their magic because by the time we got to Copenhagen I felt rested. This could be partially because we got to fly business class and the seats were very comfortable. We were really lucky to have been picked up at the airport by Chris' work colleague Michala since we have so much luggage we could barely carry ourselves! Our new (temporary home is quite cozy. Here's me walking into our building.